Automated meter reading system

ABSTRACT

The present invention achieves technical advantages as an AMR device and system adapted to couple to utility meters and operate under Part 15 of the FCC Rules. The device and system also includes a data profile module.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/952,043 entitled “Automated Meter Reader Having High ProductDelivery Rate Alert Generator” filed Sep. 29, 2004, which is acontinuation-in-part (CIP) of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser.No. 09/896,502 entitled “Optical Sensor for Utility Meter” filed Jun.29, 2001, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/419,743 filed Oct. 16, 1999, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,798,352.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is generally related to utility meter readingdevices, and more particularly to automated meter reader (AMR) devicesutilized to remotely and efficiently obtain meter readings of utilitymeters providing electric, gas and water service.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Organizations which provide electric, gas and water service to users arecommonly referred to as “utilities”. Utilities determine charges andhence billings to their customers by applying rates to quantities of theservice that the customer uses during a predetermined time period,generally a month. This monthly usage is determined by reading theconsumption meter located at the service point (usually located at thepoint where the utility service line enters the customer's house, storeor plant) at the beginning and ending of the usage month. The numericaldifference between these meter readings reveals the kilowatts ofelectricity, cubic feet of natural gas, or the gallons of water usedduring the month. Utilities correctly perceive these meters as their“cash registers” and they spend a lot of time and money obtaining meterreading information.

An accepted method for obtaining these monthly readings entails using aperson (meter reader) in the field who is equipped with a rugged handheld computer, who visually reads the dial of the meter and enters themeter reading into the hand held. This method, which is often referredto as “electronic meter reading”, or EMR, was first introduced in 1981and is used extensively today. While EMR products today are reliable andcost efficient compared to other methods where the meter reader recordsthe meter readings on paper forms, they still necessitate a significantforce of meter readers walking from meter to meter in the field andphysically reading the dial of each meter.

The objective of reducing the meter reading field force or eliminatingit all together has given rise to the development of “automated meterreading”, or AMR products. The technologies currently employed bynumerous companies to obtain meter information are:

Radio frequency (RF)

Telephone

Coaxial cable

Power line carrier (“PLC”)

All AMR technologies employ a device attached to the meter, retrofittedinside the meter or built into/onto the meter. This device is commonlyreferred to in the meter reading industry as the Meter Interface Unit,or MIU. Many of the MIU's of these competing products are transceiverswhich receive a “wake up” polling signal or a request for their meterinformation from a transceiver mounted in a passing vehicle or carriedby the meter reader, known as a mobile data collection unit (“MDCU”).The MIU then responsively broadcasts the meter number, the meterreading, and other information to the MDCU. After obtaining all themeter information required, the meter reader attaches the MDCU to amodem line or directly connects it to the utility's computer system toconvey the meter information to a central billing location. Usuallythese “drive by” or “walk by” AMR products operate under Part 15 of theFCC Rules, primarily because of the scarcity of, or the expense ofobtaining, licenses to the RF spectrum. While these types of AMR systemsdo not eliminate the field force of meter readers, they do increase theefficiency of their data collection effort and, consequentially, fewermeter readers are required to collect the data.

Some AMR systems which use RF eliminate the field force entirely byusing a network of RF devices that function in a cellular, or fixedpoint, fashion. That is, these fixed point systems use communicationconcentrators to collect, store and forward data to the utilities'central processing facility. While the communication link between theMIU and the concentrator is almost always either RF under Part 15 orPLC, the communication link between the concentrator and the centralprocessing facility can be telephone line, licensed RF, cable, fiberoptic, public carrier RF (CDPD, PCS) or LEO satellite RF. The advantageof using RF or PLC for the “last mile” of the communication network isthat it is not dependent on telephone lines and tariffs.

One advantage of AMR systems is for use with fluid meters, such asresidential and commercial water meters, as these meters are typicallymore difficult to access, and are often concealed behind locked accesspoints, such as heavy lids.

There is desired an improved meter reading device and methodology whichimproves upon the available AMR products through simplification and easeof use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention achieves technical advantages as an AMR device andsystem adapted to couple to utility meters and wirelessly transmitproduct delivery information. The device includes a transmitter, andpreferably a wireless transmitter operating in an unlicensed frequencyband, such as under Part 15 of the FCC rules, and transmitting at apower level no greater than 1 mW.

In another embodiment, the transmitter is adapted to couple to a metermeasuring a rate of electricity delivery, and is likewise adapted toprovide an alert when a rate of electricity delivery exceeds apredetermined threshold.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a data transmitting module according tothe present invention adapted to a household electric meter;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a data transmitting device according toa second embodiment of the present invention adapted to be fastened ontoa water meter pit lid and adapted to read a water meter;

FIG. 3 is a electrical block diagram of an electric meter unit accordingto the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an electrical block diagram of a water meter unit according toa second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a signal timing diagram of the optical sensor unit for theelectric meter of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a signal timing diagram of the optical sensor of the watermeter unit of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a byte data format diagram for the water and electric meterunits;

FIG. 8 is a timing diagram of an initiated wake-up sequence by a remoteprogramming device;

FIG. 9 is a timing diagram of a command/response sequence of thecontroller to the remote programming device;

FIG. 10 is a timing diagram of a sleep command being provided to thecontroller;

FIG. 11 is a sleep timing diagram of sequence;

FIG. 12 is a timing diagram of an oscillator of the water meter unit;

FIG. 13 is a timing diagram of the controller communicating with the EEPROM of the water and electric units;

FIG. 14 is a timing diagram of the controller of the water unitmeasuring interval battery voltages;

FIG. 15 is a full electrical schematic of the electric meter unitaccording to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a full electrical schematic of the water meter unit accordingto the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a full schematic diagram of a receiver adapted to receive andprocess modulated data signals from the data transmitting devicesaccording to the present invention; and

FIG. 18 shows a flow diagram of another preferred embodiment of thepresent invention providing an alert when a rate of product deliverymeets or exceeds a threshold.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a household electric meterunit generally shown at 10 having adapted therewith an electric meterreading unit 12 according to a first preferred embodiment of the presentinvention coupled to sense a black spot 13 on the rotating meter diskgenerally shown at 14. Electric meter unit 12 has an optical sensor fordetecting the passing of the back spot 13 therepast to ascertain theconsumed amount of electricity correlated to the read out of the visualdisplay 15 of meter unit 10.

FIG. 2 is the perspective view of a water meter unit according to asecond preferred embodiment of the present invention generally beingshown at 16. The circular structure 18 on the top of device 16 isadapted to fasten the unit 16 onto a water meter pit lid (not shown)with an antenna node (not shown) sticking up through a hold drilledthrough the pit lid.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is illustrated an electrical blockdiagram of the electric meter unit 12 according to the first embodimentof the present invention. Electric meter unit 12 is seen to include acontroller 20, which may comprise of a microcontroller, a digital signalprocessor (DSP) or other suitable controlling device, preferably being aprogrammable integrated circuit having suitable software programming.Device 12 is further seen to include an infrared (IR) optical sensor 22adapted to sense the passing of the black spot 13 of the metered disk 14of electric meter unit 10. Optical sensor 22 preferably operates bygenerating pulses of light using a light emitting diode, and sensing thereflection of light from the meter disk 14, and determining the passingof the black spot 13 by sensing a reduced reflection of the impinginglight therefrom.

Electric meter unit 12 is further seen to include a memory devicecomprising an EE PROM 28 storing operating parameters and controlinformation for use by controller 20. An AC sense module 30 is alsocoupled to controller 20 and senses the presence of AC power 33 beingprovided to the meter unit 10 via an AC interface 32.

A radio frequency (RF) transmitter 36 is coupled to and controlled bycontroller 20, and modulates a formatted data signal provided thereto online 38. RF transmitter 36 modulates the formatted data signal providedthereto, preferably transmitting the modulated signal at a frequency ofabout 916.5 MHz at 9600 bits per second (BPS), although otherfrequencies or data rates are suitable and limitation to this frequencyor baud rate is not to be inferred.

A programming optical port 40 is provided and coupled to controller 20which permits communication between controller 20 and an externaloptical infrared device 42 used for programming controller 20, and forselectively diagnosing the operation of electric meter unit 12 via theoptical port 40. Optical port 40 has an IR transceiver adapted totransmit and receive infrared signals to and from the external device 42when the external device 42 is disposed proximate the optical port 40for communication therewith. Device 42 asynchronously communicates withcontroller in a bi-directional manner via port 40, preferably at 19,200baud.

Optical sensor 22 communicates via a plurality of signals withcontroller 20. Optical sensor 22 provides analog voltages indicative ofand corresponding to the sensed black spot of disk 24 via a pair of datalines 50 and 52 which interface with an analog to digital controller(ADC) 54 forming a sub-portion of controller 20.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is generally shown detailed electricalblock diagram of the water meter unit 16 according to the secondpreferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein like numeralsrefer to like elements to those shown in FIG. 3. The water meter unit 16is substantially similar to the electric meter unit 12 in function, buthaving some differences necessary for operation with a household watermeter unit. Specifically, water meter unit 16 has an optical sensor 60adapted to be positioned proximate a water meter face 62 having a needle64, which needle 64 indicates a consumed amount of water communicatedthrough the water meter unit. Optical sensor 60 senses the position ofneedle 64 via infrared (IR) sensing electronics, and provides the sensedposition of needle 64 via communication link 66 to an optical sensorinterface 68. The sensed position of needle 64 is provided as a datasignal comprising an analog voltage transmitted on line 70 to an ADC 72of controller 20. In this embodiment, water meter unit 16 is providedwith an internal battery 80 powering the microcontroller 20 and othercircuitry, preferably being a lithium battery operating at about 3.6volts. A battery voltage measuring unit 82 senses and measures thecurrent operating voltage of battery 80, and outputs an analog voltagesignal indicative thereof on line 84 to an ADC 86 of microcontroller 20.The value of the analog voltage signal on line 84 is a function of thebattery voltage of battery 80 and is about 1.2 volts when battery 80 isproviding 3.6 volts. The value of the Battery Voltage Measuring circuitis about 1.2V, but the perceived value by the ADC is a function of theADC Ref voltage, which is the battery voltage. For example, if the ADCmeasures the 1.2V and it was 33% full scale of the ref voltage (batteryvoltage), then the battery voltage would be: 1.2×1/0.33=3.6V The 1.2V isconstant over a wide battery voltage range.

A low power oscillator 90 operating at about 32 kHz generates a 4 Hzlogic interrupt signal to controller 20, which controls the speed ofcontroller 20. By providing only a 4 Hz interrupt signal,microcontroller 20 operates at a very slow speed, and thus consumes verylittle power allowing water meter unit 16 to operate at up to about 10years without requiring replacement of lithium battery 80.

The EE PROM 28 is selectively enabled by the microcontroller 20 via anenable line 96, and once enabled, communication between themicrocontroller 20 and the EE PROM 28 follows an IIC protocol. Likewise,the battery voltage measuring device 82 is selectively enabled poweredby the microcontroller 20 via a control line 98 such that the batteryvoltage is sensed only periodically by the controller 20 to conservepower.

The optical sensor 60 is controlled by controller 20 via optical sensorinterface 68 to determine the water position and presence of meterneedle 64. The sensor 60 is attached to the lens of the water meter (notshown). An infrared (IR) signal 100 is periodically transmitted from thesensor 60, and the reflection of the IR signal is measured by the sensor60 to determine the passage of needle 64. The sensor 60 operates incyclic nature where the sensing is performed every 250 milliseconds. Theintensity of the IR signal transmitted by sensor 60 is controlled by twodrivelines on control line 66 from the microcontroller 20. The IRintensity is set according to the optical characteristics of the watermeter face. The sensor 60 emits an intense, but short burst of IR light.The IR receiver 68 responsively generates an analog voltage on signalline 70 which voltage is a function of the received IR light intensityfrom optical sensor 60. This voltage is connected directly to the ADC 72of the controller 20. The controller 20 measures this converted(digital) signal, and uses the value in an algorithm that ascertains thevalue over time to determine if the water meter needle has passed underthe sensor 60. The algorithm also compensates for the effects of straylight. The mechanical shape of the sensor 60 and orientation of the IRdevices, such as light emitting diodes, determines the opticalperformance of the sensor and its immunity to stray IR light.

The water meter unit 16 periodically transmits a modulated formatteddata signal on an RF link 110 that is preferably tuned at 916.5 MHz withon-off-keyed data at 9600 bits per second (9600 baud). The transmitter36 transmits the data in formatted packets or messages, as will bediscussed shortly. These formatted messages are transmitted at arepetition rate that has been initialized into the unit 16, and whichmay be selectively set between every one second and up to intervals ofevery 18 hours, and which may be changed via the optical port 40 by theprogramming external optical device 42. The formatted messages modulatedby the transmitter 36, as will be discussed shortly, contain fieldsincluding an opening flag, message length, system number, message type,data, check sum and closing flag, as will be discussed shortly inreference to FIG. 7. The messages are variable length, whereby themessage length field indicates how long the message is. The message typefield indicates how to parse or decode the data field. Differentmessages carry and combine different data items. Data items includenetwork ID, cumulative meter reading, clock time, battery voltage,sensor tamper, sensor diagnostic, and trickle flags.

As previously mentioned, low power 32 kHz oscillator 90 generates a 4 Hzsquare wave output. This signal is connected to the controller 20 whichcauses an interrupt ever 250 milliseconds. The microcontroller uses thisinterrupt for clock and timing functions. In normal mode, themicrocontroller is asleep and wakes up every 200 milliseconds andperforms a scheduling task for about 50 milliseconds. If a task isscheduled to execute, it will execute that task and return to sleep. Innormal mode, all tasks are executed within the 250 millisecond window.

In the case of the optical sensor 22 of FIG. 3, the sensor 22 isattached to the electric meter such that the sensor faces the metereddisk surface. The IR signal is periodically transmitted from the sensorand the reflection is measured. As the black spot passes under thesensor, a variation in the reflected IR signal occurs. The sensoroperates in cyclic nature where the sensing is performed every 33milliseconds. The IR receiver of sensor 22 generates analog voltages onlines 50 and 52 that is a function of the received IR light intensityand are connected to the ADC 72 in the microcontroller 20. Thecontroller 20 measures this converted (digitized) voltage, and used thevalue in the algorithm. The algorithm senses the values over time todetermine if the black spot has passed under the sensor. To detectreverse rotation of the metered disk, the sensor 22 has two sensors, asshown. The controller 22, with its algorithm, determines the directionof disk rotation as the black spot passes the sensor 22. The black spotis a decal and does not reflect IR light. This is determined by thedecal's material, color and surface texture. As with the water meter,the algorithm and sensor shrouding compensate for the effects of straylight.

The AC line interface 32 interfaces to the AC line coupled to theelectric meter through a resistive tap. The resistors limit the currentdraw from the AC line to the electric meter unit 12. The AC is thenrectified and regulated to power the unit 12. The AC sensor 30 detectsthe presence of AC voltage on the AC line 33. The sensed AC is rectifiedand a pulse is generated by sensor 30. This pulse is provided to themicrocontroller 20 where it is processed to determine the presence ofadequate AC power.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown a waveform diagram of thesignals exchanged between the optical sensor 22 and the controller 20 ofthe electric meter unit 12 shown in FIG. 3. The logic signals generatedby controller 20 control the optical sensor 22 to responsively generatean IR signal and sense a refracted IR signal from the metered disk 24.It can be seen that the reflected 0.3 millisecond IR signal is acquiredwithin 1.3 milliseconds after enabling for sensing by ADC 54 andprocessed by controller 20. Preferably, this measuring sequence isperformed every 33 milliseconds, which periodic rate can be programmedvia optical port 40 if desired.

Referring now to FIG. 6, there is shown the timing diagram of thesignals between optical sensor 68 and controller 20 for water meter unit16 of FIG. 4. The logic of the driving signals is shown below inTable 1. TABLE 1 Net Sensor Drive Drive 1 Drive 2 High 0 0 Medium 0 1Low 1 0

As shown in the timing diagram of FIG. 6, the analog signal provided online 70 by optical sensor 68 rises to an accurate readable voltage inabout 140 milliseconds, and has a signal width of about 270milliseconds. The period of the analog voltage is about 250milliseconds, corresponding to a signal acquisition rate of 4 Hzcorresponding to the timing frequency provided on line 92 to controller20.

Referring now to FIG. 7, there is shown the message format of the datasignal provided by controller 20 on output line 38 to RF transmitter 36.The message is generally shown at 120 and is seen to have several fieldsincluding:

-   -   opening flag (OF) comprised of two bytes;    -   message length (ML) having a length of one byte;    -   system number (SN) having a length of one byte;    -   message type (MT) one byte;    -   data, which length is identified by the message length parameter        (ML);    -   check sum (CSUM) two bytes; and    -   closing flag (CF) one byte.

Further seen is the data format of one byte of data having one start bitand 8 bits of data non-returned to zero (NRZ) and one stop-bit. Thelength of each byte is preferably 1.04 milliseconds in length.

Referring now to FIG. 8, there is illustrated the message format andtiming sequence of messages generated between the external opticaltiming device 42 and microcontroller 20 via optical port 40. As shown inFIG. 8, a plurality of synchronization bytes are provided by device 42on the receive data (RXD) line to controller 20, and upon therecognition of the several bytes by controller 20, the controller 20generates a response message to the wake-up message on the transmit data(TXD) line via optical port 40 to the external device 42. Thereafter,shown in FIG. 9, a command data message may be provided by the externaldevice 42 to controller 20 on receive data line RXD, with response data,if required, being responsively returned on the transmit data line TXDto device 42 if required by the command.

As shown in FIG. 10, a sleep command is then generated by externaldevice 42 upon which no response by controller 20 is generated and theunit 12 goes to sleep. As shown in FIG. 11, after a command has beensent to controller 20, and responded to, the unit 12 will time out aftera predetermined period of time if no other commands are received, suchas 120 seconds, with a message being sent by controller 20 on transmitline TXD indicating to the external device 42 that the unit 12 has goneto sleep.

The message sequence shown in FIGS. 8-11 applies equally to both theelectric unit 12 and the water unit 16. Referring now to FIG. 12, thereis illustrated the 4 Hz square wave interrupt signal generated by thelow power oscillator 90 to the microcontroller 20.

Referring to FIG. 13, there is illustrated the timing of communicationsbetween the EE PROM 28 and the controller 20, whereby the EE PROM isenabled by a logic one signal on line 96, with bi-directional data beingtransferred using an IIC link on lines SCL, and lines SDA. This appliesto both the water unit 16 and the electric unit 12.

Referring to FIG. 14, there is illustrated the timing diagram forsensing the internal battery voltage in the water meter unit 16 shown inFIG. 4. A logic high signal is generated on enable line 98 by controller20, whereby the battery measuring unit 82 responsively senses thebattery voltage via line 130 from DC battery 80. Battery measuring unit82 responsively provides an analog voltage signal on line 84 indicativeof the voltage of battery 80 to the ADC 86 of controller 20. The analogvoltage provided on signal line 84 is approximately 1.2 volts when thebattery 80 is at full strength, being about 3.6 volts.

Referring now to FIG. 15, there is illustrated a detailed schematicdiagram of the electric meter unit 12, wherein like numerals shown inFIG. 3 refer to like elements.

Referring now to FIG. 16 there is illustrated a detailed schematicdiagram of the water meter unit 16, shown in FIG. 4, wherein likenumerals refer to like elements.

Referring now to FIG. 17, there is illustrated a detailed schematicdiagram of an external receiver unit adapted to receive andintelligently decode the modulated formatted data signals provided on RFcarrier 110 by the RF transmitter 36. This receiver 140 both demodulatesthe RF carrier, preferably operating at 916.5 MHz, at 9600 baud, anddecodes the demodulated signal to ascertain the data in the fields ofmessage 120 shown in FIG. 7. This receiver unit 140 has memory forrecording all data collected from the particular sensored units beingmonitored by a field operator driving or walking in close proximity tothe particular measuring unit, whether it be a water meter, gas meter orelectric meter, depending on the particular meter being sensed andsampled. All this data is later downloaded into remote computers forultimate billing to the customers, by RF carrier or other communicationmeans.

In a preferred embodiment, the RF carrier 110 is generated at about 1milliwatt, allowing for receiver 140 to ascertain the modulated datasignal at a range of about 1,000 feet depending on RF path loss. The RFtransmitters 36 are low power transmitters operating in microburstfashion operating under part 15 of the FCC rules. The receiver 140 doesnot have transmitting capabilities. The receiver is preferably coupledto a hand held computer (not shown) carried by the utility meter readerwho is walking or driving by the meter location.

In the case of the electric meter unit 12, the device obtains electricalpower to operate from the utility side of the power line to the meterand is installed within the glass globe of the meter. The main circuitboard of this device doubles as a mounting bracket and contains a numberof predrilled holes to accommodate screws to attach to various threadedbosses present in most electric meters.

In the case of the water meter, electric power is derived from theinternal lithium battery. The water meter unit 12 resides under the pitlid of the water meter unit, whereby the antenna 142 is adapted to stickout the top of the pit lid through a pit lid opening to facilitateeffective RF transmission of the RF signal to the remote receiver 140.

The present invention derives technical advantages by transmitting meterunit information without requiring elaborate polling methodologyemployed in conventional mobile data collection units. The meter unitscan be programmed when installed on the meter device, in the case of thewater and gas meters, or when installed in the electric meter. Theexternal programming diagnostic device 42 can communicate with theoptical port 40 of the units via infrared technology, and thuseliminates a mechanical connection that would be difficult to keep cleanin an outdoor environment. Also, the optical port 40 of the presentinvention is not subject to wear and tear like a mechanical connection,and allows communication through the glass globe of an electric meterwithout having to remove the meter or disassemble it. In the case of theelectric meter, the present invention eliminates a potential leakagepoint in the electric meter unit and therefore allows a more watertightenclosure.

The transmitting meter units of the present invention can be programmedby the utility to transmit at predetermined intervals, determined andselected to be once ever second to up to several hours betweentransmissions. Each unit has memory 28 to accommodate the storage ofusage profile data, which is defined as a collection of meter readingsat selected intervals. For example, the unit can be programmed to gatherinterval meter readings ever hour. If the unit is set to record intervalreadings every hour, the memory 28 may hold the most recent 72 daysworth of interval data. This interval data constitutes the usage profilefor that service point. Typically, the utility uses this information toanswer customer complaints about billings and reading and as a basis forload research studies. The profile intervals are set independently ofthe transmitting interval and the device does not broadcast the intervaldata. The only way this interval data can be retrieved by the utility isto attach the programming unit 42 to the meter unit of the presentinvention and download the file to a handheld or laptop computer. Withthe programming unit 42, one can determine the status of the battery onthe water meter which is including in the profile data.

The present invention allows one to selectively set the transmissionintervals thereby controlling the battery life. The longer the interval,the longer the battery life. In the case of electric meter unit, poweris derived directly from the utility side of the electric service to themeter. The battery on the water meter unit is not intended to be fieldreplaceable. In order to control cost, the water meter product isdesigned to be as simple as possible with the water meter unit enclosurebeing factory sealed to preserve the watertight integrity of the device.Preferably, a D size lithium cell is provided, and the unit is set totransmit once every second, providing a battery life of about 10 years.The water meter unit of the present invention can be fitted to virtuallyany water meter in the field and the utility can reap the benefits ofthe present invention without having to purchase a competitor'sproprietary encoder and software. In the case of existing water metersthat incorporate an encoder which senses the rotation of the watermeter, these encoders incorporate wire attachments points that allowattachments to the manufactures proprietary AMR device. The presentinvention derives advantages whereby the sensor 60 of the presentinvention can be eliminated, with the sensor cable 66 being coupleddirectly to the terminals on the encoder of this type of device.

Referring now to FIG. 18, there is shown at 200 a flow diagram ofanother preferred embodiment of the present invention. Algorithm 200 ispreferably embodied as a software algorithm within microcontroller 20 ofthe water meter device 16 depicted in FIG. 4, although the algorithmcould be embodied in hardware if desired. Hence, the invention is notlimited to software, as the preferred embodiment will now be described.

Microcontroller 20, as previously described, is adapted to ascertain therate of fluid delivery by the fluid meter, such as water delivered to aresidential or commercial customer. This present invention is wellsuited to facilitate conservation enforcement of consumed productsaccording to local ordinances, such as water conservation. The algorithm200 begins at step 210, whereby a predetermined detection threshold isprogrammed into the meter, such as by a field technician or a remotemonitoring station. This predetermined detection threshold may byprogrammed as a digital word into the microcontroller 20 via the opticalport 40 by a field technician, but may also be programmed into themicrocontroller 20 by any wireless signal via a suitable receiver, suchas a wireless signal transmitted in an unlicensed frequency band andtransmitted by a transmitter having a power level no greater than 1 mWin compliance with the FCC Part 15 requirements.

At step 220, microcontroller 20 continuously determines if the deliveryrate of the delivered product exceeds a rate corresponding to thepredetermined threshold programmed into the microcontroller 20. Excessconsumption may be defined as a predetermined amount of productdelivered instantaneously or over a predetermined time period. Forinstance, the rate of delivery may be a predetermined amount of fluiddelivered over a one minute period of time, such as 100 gallonsdelivered in a one minute time period. Of course, depending on thecustomer and/or restrictions in place during use, this threshold limitcan be programmed and updated as necessary.

At step 230, if excess consumption is not detected, an active warningflag, if present, is cleared at microcontroller 20 at step 240. If,however, at step 230 an excessive consumption rate is detected, then aconsumption warning flag is set by microcontroller 20 at step 250. Forinstance, this flag could be a logic high on one or more bits of adigital word. The microcontroller 20, responsive to determining anexcessive consumption rate, generates an alert indicative of this highconsumption rate which is transmitted via the RF transmitter 36 to aphysically remote station at a frequency within an unlicensed frequencyband, and at a power level no greater than 1 mW. Preferably, this alertis transmitted in compliance with Part 15 of the FCC rules. Thealgorithm then proceeds to step 260 and returns to the main loop.

Advantageously, microcontroller 20 causes this alert to be generated andsent without requiring external polling by a remote device, and withoutthe assistance of a wireless communication network. As previouslymentioned, the device includes an internal battery 80 such that the AMRdevice 16 can operate for an extended period of time in locations whereelectricity is not available.

Advantageously, this alert is only transmitted when an excessconsumption event is detected, which further reduces power consumptionand extends the life of the battery. This alert is adapted to beremotely reset from the AMR device 16, such as by a field technician viatransceiver 40, or from another physically remote station via anysuitable wireless link. For instance, the alert can be wirelessly resetvia an infrared link, or by an RF signal which may be a fixed frequencysignal, a spread spectrum signal, a frequency hopping signal, or othersuitable RF modulated signal.

This alert provides a timely notice to a remote party, such as thepublic utility which can responsively dispatch a party to investigatethis alert, and turn off a water main should a serious leak or floodingbe present, or if excess consumption is verified. In addition, a remotemonitoring party may also be alerted, such as a security companycontracted by the party being serviced, which in turn can alert thepublic utility or other party of the high delivery rate.

Due to the increased efforts of conservation, and enforcement ofviolators not meeting conservation requirements, the utility can alsoissue warnings and citations for excessive consumption of waterdelivery, which electronic records substantiate proof of a violation.

Though the invention has been described with respect to a specificpreferred embodiment, many variations and modifications will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the presentapplication. It is therefore the intention that the appended claims beinterpreted as broadly as possible in view of the prior art to includeall such variations and modifications.

1. An automated meter reading (AMR) system, comprising: an interfacemodule adapted to couple to a meter measuring a quantity of deliveredproduct and providing a first signal indicative of the measuredquantity, the module including a wireless transmitter modulating andtransmitting the first signal as an RF signal at a user selectabletransmission interval, at a power level no greater than 1 mW and at afrequency in an unlicensed frequency band, adapted to reduceinterference in the unlicensed frequency band without requiring externalpolling and without the assistance of a wireless communications network;and a profile module operatively coupled to the interface module andhaving a transceiver and a controller receiving the first signals, theprofile module creating and storing usage profile data as a function ofthe measured quantity, wherein the usage profile data is generated at aprofile data interval and is adapted to be obtained by a remote user viathe transceiver.
 2. The device as specified in claim 1 wherein theprofile data interval is user selectable.
 3. The device as specified inclaim 2 wherein the profile data interval is substantially longer thanthe transmission interval.
 4. The device as specified in claim 1 whereinthe wireless transmitter transmits the modulated first signal at a fixedfrequency.
 5. The device as specified in claim 1 wherein the profiledata interval is adapted to be selectively adjusted by a fieldtechnician.
 6. The device as specified in claim 1 wherein the controlleris adapted to be wirelessly polled by a remote user via the transceiver.7. The device as specified in claim 1 wherein the device includes aninternal battery and operates therefrom.
 8. The device as specified inclaim 1 wherein the transceiver is an IR transceiver.